Lincoln Riley’s confidence in USC coaching staff has to be more than just a feeling or a vibe

‘It just feels right’ is exactly that: a feeling, not something backed up by evidence. It’s fine to express confidence in coaches, but that confidence needs to be earned.

The USC Trojans aren’t making any changes on the coaching staff for the 2023 season — at least not yet.

After they lost to the Tulane Green Wave in the Cotton Bowl, the one with the biggest target on his back was defensive coordinator Alex Grinch.

The defense is the main reason for the struggles for USC, and the offense has a ton of weapons in place for the 2023 season.

However, Lincoln Riley insisted Grinch is back, and he also noted that the coaching staff will remain intact for next season (h/t Ryan Kartje of The Los Angeles Times).

“And so, I just have a confidence and a belief there, not just in Alex, but the other guys in the room,” Riley said.

Even after a rough ending to the year, Riley is expressing outward confidence about this group. In public, he definitely should.

Privately, he knows he has to insist on something better.

He has a previous relationship with many of the coaches on the staff — after all, they are hand-picked.

However, despite the confidence, if things don’t change for the better in 2023, Riley could be making some major changes with the Trojans heading for the Big Ten in the 2024 season.

Even with the confidence in the coaching staff, the pressure should be at an all-time high in Los Angeles.

Confidence has to be more than just a feeling.

[mm-video type=video id=01gphsx31sxc4tg63912 playlist_id=none player_id=01f5k5y2jb3twsvdg4 image=https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/video/thumbnail/mmplus/01gphsx31sxc4tg63912/01gphsx31sxc4tg63912-60c009444554ba9e9f2729bb91bde462.jpg]

[listicle id=55501]